Comparative Analysis— Marketing and Branding for Fashion
FASHION BRAND RESEARCH — HOLLISTER
Working as the Manager in Training for Hollister, I learned about fashion and branding from the ground floor. Working directly with customers, receiving branding guides from corporate, and understanding my own unique experience allowed me to explore the world of marketing and branding for fashion that I used to build my own cycling fashion business.
When I think back on Hollister, the first impression I had was the overall impression of the store as a Southern California brand. The name itself is a reflection of the city ‘Hollister’ in California. The storefront is washed in a style that appears like a beach house you would see along the shores in California. The flooring, spotlighting, and shelving all reflect an authentic southern California store experience, regardless of where you are actually located in the world. Having traveled for Spring Break in my college years, I have stayed in a Hostel in San Diego that very closely resembled the dressing rooms in Hollister. Their style is very authentic and true-to-nature for the branding. The store is darkly lit with spotlighting and not many windows to see in through. This shows how their brand is exclusive and very narrow in their vision for who the clothing is intended for — the southern California vision.
When it comes to the marketing for Hollister, their target audience tends to strike most with the teenager age group at 14–18. The brand reflects an even style approach to attract both men and women. Even when you first enter their stores, for some locations, the entrance is marketed with signs that read ‘Bettys’ for women and ‘Dudes’ for the men. To attract this younger age group, Hollister uses fragrance for their in-store branding. Part of the brand is to re-create the authentic southern California experience, which their fragrance helps to layout especially for the teenager demographic.
After my time at Hollister as Manager, it can be concluded that Hollister target market customers are teenagers, male or female, with a taste for the endless summer feeling that is guaranteed by the storefront, clothing, fragrance filled air, and marketing in-store. If I were to make a conclusion on the overall brand for this store marketing strategy, I would say that the employees and customers reflect the same values as the advertisements. The young look, the fresh clothing, sweet California smells. The company has a strong understanding of the image they want to portray and how they wish to attract that customer, which makes them a successful brand.
FASHION BRAND RESEARCH — AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS
After a while, I decided to switch brands. Like any smart consumer, I had an idea for what I wanted in my life. I wanted to expand my outlook and style and became Manager at American Eagle Outfitters.
Exploring the American Eagle style of branding for the store front and advertisements was an immediate difference from Hollister. The store was a warm tone with wooden flooring throughout. The spotlights were in a brightly lit store with large windows. The entire store was much more inviting and open — much more inclusive. The store fronts didn’t display ‘male’/’female’ entrances. The entire store had a large layout where both genders could comfortable enter into.
The target marketing for American Eagle ranges between 15–25, a young American consumer seeking the modern day Americana look. The American Eagle brand looks to market their products to male and female that fill the American image — travelers, students, goal-oriented achievers. The higher age group incorporates adults that want to achieve the American Dream, that is filled by shopping their brand.
American Eagle has a strong emphasis on the quality of fabrics and the design for each fit for their jeans. This is a company that distinguishes itself by their bottoms much more than tops. In my experience, I was trained on the variety of fabrics and learned how each pair of pants and shorts were designed for each customer fit. Relating to the wide range of American shoppers, each pant was designed for a different purpose as well — festival jeans, worker pants, casual daily pants, etc.
It’s important to note that although American Eagle captures much of the same fun-loving attitude as Hollister, it is not bottled into the Southern California style. It encompasses the style of all of America, which expanded their target audience and range of market.
CONCLUSION
Target marketing and branding is important in a fashion brand. This article seeks to explore the relationships between advertising, marketing, store-front design, and the overall company vision for Hollister and American Eagle Outfitters. I had the unique experience of exploring being a Manager at both locations and know more than the average shopper about the brand design for each market. Choose for yourself and design your business with your target market audience in mind.
All the best and nothing less,
Tyandrah Ashley
Founder of 97th Avenue | Cycling Fashion Business
